Franklin resident is one of just 54 people nationally to get this award
FRANKLIN — Phillip Balkus is seeking to become an expert high school instructor of the American Constitution, and he recently won $24,000 to help him accomplish that.
Balkus, a Franklin resident who teaches history at Walpole High School, was Massachusetts' sole recipient of the James Madison Graduate Fellowship. He is one of 54 people nationwide to receive the $24,000 prize, which is to be used to obtain a master’s degree in American history, political science or government from an accredited university.
“I really wasn’t expecting it because there’s only one person in each state that gets it every year but… I was excited that I did,” said Balkus.
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Balkus first heard of the fellowship while grading AP exams in Florida a couple years ago. He told a colleague there that he wanted to earn a master’s degree in history and she encouraged him to apply for the fellowship.
Balkus then gathered letters of recommendation from his school’s department head, principal and a former student and sent off his application.
“They must have said good things about me, because I got it,” said Balkus with a chuckle.
The money raised to fund the fellowships comes from private donations, foundation grants, corporate contributions and income from a trust fund in the U.S. Treasury.
Balkus started his online master’s program at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and is currently enrolled in historiography and a course called “Making America Modern.” The program will last about three years as he continues teaching at Walpole High.
“They kind of compliment one another… it keeps me fresh and gives new ideas to bring to the students,” he said.
Next summer, Balkus will fly to Washington, D.C., for a month to study the Constitution alongside other fellowship winners. He will take a concentrated, six-credit course — Foundations of American Constitutionalism — at Georgetown University. Fellows will also have meetings with government officials, lectures and discussions about the Constitution from prominent figures, and trips to historical sites.
Michael Donohue, chair of Walpole High's social studies department, said these experiences will allow Balkus to "incorporate new ways to talk about some of the concepts that (his classes) go into."
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Balkus, who has taught at Walpole High for 22 years, said he was inspired to become a teacher after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He trained in North Carolina for nine months and was later stationed with his reserve unit in Connecticut.
He said his time at the Corps Reserves “opened my eyes to some of the things history offered,” and developed an interest in learning about various ideologies.
In 1993, Balkus graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in history and later attended Framingham State University, earning a master’s degree in special education.
Walpole High School Principal Stephen Imbusch, who has worked alongside Balkus for 21 years, was eager to offer support for Balkus' pursuit of the fellowship and wrote a letter of recommendation.
“Phil is not a teacher who just dials it in; he is always looking to improve himself and his knowledge to become a better teacher,” said Imbusch. “He’s got a great work ethic shown, quite honestly, by his desire to go after a fellowship like this.”
Once word got out that Balkus received the award, Imbusch said he was very proud and honored to have him as an educator at Walpole High School.
Donohue agreed.
"Everything I've seen him do is always high quality," he said. "I know his teaching is only going to benefit from what he's doing as a fellow and I'm certain he's going to do tjust as well in that program as he is with his students."
This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Franklin resident Phillip Balkus lands Madison Graduate Fellowship
